Two people were killed in separate vehicle crashes in Bulloch County this week, according to county officials, in a grim one-two punch on roads just outside Statesboro. A Register woman died after her car overturned Monday morning, and a crash involving a van and an 18-wheeler on U.S. 80 East near Arcola Road claimed another driver's life the following day.
What officials have reported
Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch and first responders said the single-vehicle wreck on Kennedy Bridge Road happened around 8 a.m. Monday, when the driver, identified as 29-year-old Rebecca Clark of Dekle Road in Register, lost control, struck a culvert and was ejected from the vehicle. Bulloch County EMS transported her to East Georgia Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Statesboro Herald.
18-wheeler collision on U.S. 80
Georgia State Patrol troopers and emergency crews were called shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday to the intersection of U.S. 80 East and Arcola Road after reports of a collision between a van and an 18-wheeler. Investigators said the van was hit on the driver's side by a semi hauling wood chips. Trooper First-Class Trey Miller told investigators that the van driver, Devin Owens Cassidy, "was talking on a cell phone when the accident occurred," and reported that the truck pushed the van roughly 180 feet before the rig overturned, according to the Statesboro Herald.
What the law says about phone use
Georgia's hands-free rules under OCGA §40-6-241 prohibit drivers from holding or supporting a wireless device while behind the wheel and bar writing, sending or reading text-based communications. Those restrictions can play a role in traffic enforcement and in later civil or criminal investigations. Legal summaries and official guidance from the state detail how the Hands-Free Georgia Act shapes enforcement and possible liability, according to FordHarrison and the Georgia Attorney General.
Investigation and community impact
Georgia State Patrol and Bulloch County authorities continue to investigate both collisions. The coroner's office pronounced the victims and said more details could be released as the inquiries move forward. The two crashes came on the heels of a pedestrian death earlier in the same period, leaving residents and first responders confronting multiple recent fatalities on local roads.
